SUPPORT SYSTEM

If you don't know the value of family, you don't have a support system.

I have always thought about them. They have always been on my mind. Family. Blood. My biggest treasure on earth.

If you don't know the value of family, you will not understand this. And yes, you don't have a support system. 

The number one thing family has done for me is believing in a dream that is blurry and faint. They believed a dream that sounded so impossible.

I didn't realize how much I was writing about myself and my family in my novel, Shattered Dreams, until now.

My father is a man whom I will categorize as dangerous. Quite a chameleon just like the character, Okwudili, the priest of Amadioha,in my novel. And honestly, I can't place my father's personality because it can change. But whenever it changes,in most cases,it changes for good. A man who believes in education. A man who believes in the vision of his children. My father will always talk about how he will address himself as the father of "internationally acclaimed" novelist and journalist, Chidera Onuoha. He will always boast in the presence of his relatives of how intelligent his children are. Although I don't like the boasting part, I'm always grateful to know that I have a father who loves education. Due to the economic hardship in Nigeria, many fathers will choose to send their children to learn a trade.

In 2021, relatives suggested I go for "igba boyi". Igba boyi is an apprenticeship system, created by the Igbo people, which has produced "more billionaires than all Nigerian universities". However, I decided not to go for this"igba boyi" for quite a number of reasons. And my father supported me.

My father is a strong man and a man of action. When he said that he will sponsor my university education, I thought it was a joke. But he did it. And today, I'm in the prestigious University of Nigeria, Nsukka, pursuing my dream of becoming a globally acclaimed novelist and journalist.

If there are still women of virtue, my mother is one of them.

And then comes my mother. My mother is a calm woman that gives the fearless vibe. I grew up seeing my mother as a beautiful huge woman with a dark skin that shone like polished wood. My mother didn't need to plait or fix artificial hair because her natural hair was so long and black. But now, my mother is as thin as a broom stick and she has lost much of her hair because of lack of maintenance. My mother,a primary school teacher, didn't care about all these things. She only cared about her children.

When I wrote my first ever fiction during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020, my mother paid rapt attention while I read her a twenty-two chapter novel. I can't forget the way she laughed because all the characters in my novel died. 

In 2022, I began writing my novel, Shattered Dreams. My mother was there for me, offering advice and of course, showering me with love. Just like the mother of the protagonist of my novel, Chika, my mother is a firm woman - someone you might call a feminist.

When I was a child, I will always tell my mother that I will build a mansion where everyone in my family will be comfortable. In this mansion, there will be domestic staff and everything in the house will be computerized. Whenever I said this, she will affirm it with a smiling AMEN.

I can never forget how people kept bashing me and my decision to be a writer and a journalist. They encouraged me to pick one of the STEM courses. But my mother stood by me. She supported this decision to become a writer. Of course, she knew how hard it was to get published in Nigeria let alone becoming an international literary star. But she believed in my dream of joining Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka, Chigozie Obioma, Nnedi Okoroafor and the many other literary stars on the global stage.

In Africa,a good mother is a woman who sells her expensive wrappers and jewelry to raise her children. This is my mother, the mother who protects her chicks like the mother hen and ushers them into the strength of an eagle. This is my mother for you.

And how can I forget my siblings? In my novel, Shattered Dreams, the children of Umuaga protested against the excesses of the government of Alasamba(the imaginary country and the fictional world of my novel). Those kids are basically my siblings.

My siblings are flowers that adds to my beauty, thorns to my flesh and trees that produces good fruits.

Writing about my siblings will take all the books in the world. But they are the best.

There is Chinagorom whom we call Ada. She is the first daughter and the second child of my parents. Even though I'm older than her, Ada has proved to be a hardworking girl. While I'm in the world of my dreams, Ada takes action. She creates the world she wants to see. Although in her mid teens, she has developed an interest in business. She works so hard and tirelessly, making sure that the family gets something to eat. You might call this child labour which it is.  A minor working for her family. But you will never understand how hard it is for parents to put food on the table. They have to recruit their children in little business just to raise money for the family.

It is not only a Nigerian or African thing. It is a problem in countries living in poor economic conditions. It is a problem even in the developed countries.

There is Chigaemezu, the troublemaker of the house. She is always picking a fight with someone even though she is a girl!

Lastly, there is Chijioke, my only brother. I do not want to say anything about him because I don't want to reveal too much about myself.

WRITING THIS ALONE THREW ME INTO EMOTIONAL DISTRESS. I JUST WANTED TO TALK ABOUT HOW MY FAMILY SUPPORTED ME DURING THE PROCESS OF WRITING THE NOVEL, SHATTERED DREAMS. AND NOW, I HAVE LEFT A LOT TO THE PUBLIC EYE.

Nonetheless, I want to appreciate them for supporting this dream. 

My life.

My world.

My heartbeat.

My everything.

Thank you all for supporting this dream.

The world will hear about us soon.

From your quintessential writer, Chidera Onuoha, thank you for being there. Your love opened doors of creativity. In my next world, you all will be my family. But we will be better off than now.

Once again, daalu nu. Thank you all and keep reading my novel, Shattered Dreams, on Wattpad.

Chidera Onuoha,

Nsukka, Nigeria.